The Royal Rumble will take place this Sunday, January 29, 2017, and will hail from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Over the past few years, fans have been disappointed with the winners of the Royal Rumble Match and some of the undercard matches, but this year has the potential to be one of the best Rumbles in years.
The undercard matches are likely to have some great wrestling with Neville and Rich Swann fighting for the Cruiserweight Championship and John Cena and AJ Styles fighting for the WWE Championship.
However, the actual Royal Rumble match is the most unpredictable match on the card and has the potential to be a memorable one.
Unlike the last two years where fans knew who would win the match, the WWE has a plethora of superstars they can have win the match this time and go on and challenge for either the WWE Championship or the Universal Championship. And just like the winner is currently unknown, so are some of the last spots in the match.
As of now, 22 out of 30 of the Royal Rumble Entrants have been revealed.
The Raw superstars in the match are Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Chris Jericho, Cesaro, Sheamus, Big Show, Sami Zayn, Big Cass, and Rusev.
The SmackDown superstars in the match are Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Baron Corbin, and Mojo Rawley.
Aside from The Undertaker, who seems to be a brand neutral entrant, the WWE has 8 spots to fill for the 2017 Royal Rumble Match. Some of them will be filled with NXT Superstars and wrestlers coming off of the injury reserve, but there is still a lot of speculation as to who may make an appearance in the Royal Rumble Match.
So, to make a few guesses as to who will come out when the buzzer sounds, this article will predict the last 8 spots in the 2017 Royal Rumble Match.
Honourable Mentions
John Cena – If Cena doesn’t win the WWE Championship for the 16th time, it’s not impossible to expect him to return to the Royal Rumble match for the first time in three years.
Roman Reigns – It’s been reported that Reigns may be facing The Undertaker at WrestleMania. If Reigns doesn’t win the Universal Championship match earlier in the night, the WWE may have Reigns wrestle in the Royal Rumble match and a get another elimination or two to pad his resume.
Plus, the WWE’s Instagram Account claimed that Reigns, Goldberg, and Strowman would clash in the Rumble, so maybe that perceived typo was a bit of foreshadowing.
Shawn Michaels – The Heartbreak Kid has stated numerous times that he doesn’t want to come out of retirement and wrestle a match. However, he could make an exception to a Royal Rumble appearance, since it’s not a traditional match.
It would mark 20 years since HBK beat Sycho Sid and the fans would love to see him get back in the ring, but this isn’t a likely occurrence. In fact, it’s closer to zero than one, so don’t get your hopes up on this possibility; especially since he’s already on the show.
Sycho Sid – Many people tend to focus on the fact that Shawn Michaels won the championship at the 1997 Royal Rumble, but his opponent was The Psychotic One, Sycho Sid. Sid returned briefly for the buildup of Raw 1000, so a quick appearance in the Rumble match could be a possibility.
Shaq – Big Show and Shaq have been promising to cross paths in a singles match for years now and the WWE got close to it by allowing Shaq to compete in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
They’ve been teasing a match for months now on social media and claim that they’ll be wrestling at WrestleMania, well, if they want to build up this match, then an appearance by Shaq wouldn’t be too farfetched for this year’s Rumble.
Mark Henry – Texas is the home state of The World’s Strongest Man so don’t be surprised to see Mark Henry induct someone in the Hall of Pain one last time before he retires; which Henry has said will occur sometime in the near future.
Tye Dillinger – The Perfect 10 has spent a lot of time in the WWE Developmental Sytems and he’s bound to debut at some point. He could easily debut as the Number 10 entrant as the crowd starts to get behind his gimmick.
However, the WWE may put this on hold and save his debut for either next year or another scenario down the line.
Now let’s get to the safe bets.
#8 Finn Bálor
Finn Bálor made a very impactful main roster debut in 2016 when he defeated three of the WWE’s top superstars in less than a month and went on to SummerSlam to become the inaugural Universal Champion.
He was forced to relinquish the title due to injury and has only been seen making appearances in non-wrestling capacities. His recovery could be finished around now so there is a chance that The Demon King can make his Rumble debut this Sunday.
Also read: WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Rumours: Last minute rumours you need to know
Bálor’s absence from the WWE and his short tenure on the main roster still makes him a relatively fresh superstar. He can easily have a feud with any of the competitors involved in the Rumble match and it would make sense.
Bálor could have a confrontation with The Undertaker, Sami Zayn, Bray Wyatt, or maybe even some of the imminent NXT debutants.
Unfortunately, his injuries may keep him out of action for a little while longer. However, Bálor has been dropping hints that he may be able to compete in the match by talking about his doctor’s comments on Twitter. The possibility is slim, but it’s a possibility nonetheless.
#7 Kurt Angle
Now it is true that Kurt Angle said he has not been contacted for anything other than his Hall of Fame induction.
However, two things worth noticing are that Angle cancelled all his independent bookings for this weekend and the report from PWInsider that states that the WWE is waiting until the last minute to add any surprise returns for the Royal Rumble.
With these two bits of info, it’s not implausible to think that the Olympic Gold medalist will participate in the Royal Rumble match this Sunday.
Angle is still one of the best wrestlers to ever grace a WWE ring and is one of the best wrestlers in the world. He’s had great matches with many superstars who are now all in WWE.
Whether you loved his classic matches with Lesnar and Undertaker or you preferred the matches with men like Samoa Joe, he’s had a history with a lot of people who are rumoured to be in this match.
The fans in attendance would keep the Alamodome shaking if they heard the sound of the trumpets playing that iconic tune and out came one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the WWE.
If the WWE wants some great surprises and some great reactions, including Angle in the Royal Rumble would be awesome for everyone involved.
#6 James Ellsworth
Ever since his match against Braun Strowman, James Ellsworth has won over the hearts of many fans and has made quite a name for himself. His unique facial features and his comedic timing have made him one of the funniest acts in the WWE.
Evident is his popularity by the fact that his t-shirt was selling like hotcakes when it went up for sale online.
Aside from a program with WWE Champion AJ Styles that lasted too long, Ellsworth has been one of the funniest parts of the SmackDown show in 2016 and having an appearance in the 2017 Royal Rumble could make for some great comedy.
The Royal Rumble is one of the funniest matches in the WWE because it allows for everyone to have some shine and provides fans with comedy, good wrestling, shocking moments, and much more all in one match.
Having Ellsworth getting involved in the match and contending with competitors like Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman could be comedic gold. Just the thought of Ellsworth trying to hype himself up just to get destroyed or even eliminating a bigger foe is enough to justify his entry into the match.
#5 Seth Rollins
We’ve seen it many times where wrestlers take somebody else out just to enter the Royal Rumble match and that may be done by Seth Rollins.
It’s been months since Triple H betrayed Rollins and practically gift-wrapped the Universal Championship for Kevin Owens. After months of feuding with Owens and Chris Jericho, the hatred between The Architect and The Cerebral Assassin has come back into focus these past few weeks.
Rollins recently lost his spot in the Royal Rumble match to Sami Zayn when Triple H’s theme music played and caused Rollins to get distracted.
Rollins now has a motive to force his way into the match and get revenge on Triple H should Triple H enter the match.
If Rollins doesn’t force his way into the Rumble match, he will more than likely just blindside Triple H and take him out of the match similar to how Brock Lesnar attacked Goldberg in the 2004 Royal Rumble, distracted Goldberg, and led to his elimination.
But’s it’s highly unlikely that the WWE would really leave out one of their biggest stars. In fact, there’s a chance that Stephanie McMahon may allow Rollins to enter the match so long as he agrees to enter from spot number 1.
Then maybe Sami Zayn can be entrant number two and the match can play out from there.
#4 Kane
If anyone can name a Royal Rumble where Kane did not wrestle in when he was healthy since he became the Devil’s Favorite Demon, please point it out because otherwise this is an easy pick.
Kane currently has the record for most eliminations in the history of the Royal Rumble with over 40 eliminations, the most Royal Rumble appearances as both Kane, Issac Yankem and Fake Diesel for 19 appearances, and had the record for most eliminations in a single Royal Rumble match with 11 eliminations until his record was broken by Roman Reigns in 2014.
Kane participating in the Royal Rumble Match is basically a tradition at this point and with The Undertaker involved in the match, it’s almost 100% certain that Kane will show up and remind us of the powers of the Brothers of Destruction.
His last appearance in the Rumble only had him gain one elimination in his 19-minute stint so don’t expect a dominant performance, but you can guarantee that The Big Red Machine will conjure fire and kick some ass in the Royal Rumble match.
#3 Triple H
In order for the feud between Triple H and Seth Rollins to continue it’s build-up properly, those men have to come to blows in this match in some way, shape, or form.
Triple H could show up earlier in the night to wish Kevin Owens good luck in his match against Roman Reigns and could inform him that should he retain, he’ll face Triple H at WrestleMania; revealing himself to be an entrant in the Royal Rumble match.
That, or he could just show up unannounced like he did last year. Either way, it’s bound to lead to a confrontation with his former golden boy Rollins and the feud will pick up from there.
If Triple H doesn’t at least make an appearance in the Royal Rumble, then someone should be losing their job.
#2 Shinsuke Nakamura
Wrestling fans were hoping that New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar Kenny Omega would possibly get out of his contract earlier and make his debut in the Royal Rumble this Sunday.
Omega has said that he plans to stay with NJPW for at least another year so seeing The Cleaner in the Rumble may be out of the question. However, fans would be delighted to see the King of Strong Style make his debut in the Royal Rumble match instead.
Nakamura has been the foundation for NXT ever since Sami Zayn and Finn Bálor got called up. With rumours of the WWE seeking more talent to fill that void like Chris Hero and others, Nakamura wouldn’t be needed as much in NXT like he was this past year.
Even Austin Aries, who is currently injured, may return to NXT before debuting in the Cruiserweight Division on Raw, so the void will likely be filled in the foreseeable future.
Nakamura is a two-time NXT Champion and will probably leave the brand as soon as he drops the championship or he could pull a Kevin Owens and show up with the championship anyway.
There are a lot of possibilities if Nakamura wrestles in the Rumble match and fans would be elated to hear those notes from the violin as The King of Strong Style debuts on the main roster.
#1 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe has been in NXT for two years now and has accomplished everything he can on that brand. Joe’s had mid-card feuds, he’s won the NXT Championship twice, and he’s faced off against some of NXT’s biggest stars.
There’s nothing left for Joe to do in NXT, so the next logical step would be for The Samoan Submission Machine to debut on the main roster through the Royal Rumble match.
Joe debuting in the Royal Rumble match is the perfect opportunity to call him up to the main roster. In that scenario, he could make himself stand out by going toe to toe with men like Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, and Goldberg.
He could go for a decent amount of time and eventually be eliminated, but the best way to get him over as a huge star would be for him to win the match.
It's reported that the WWE is interested in a program between Samoa Joe and John Cena for the WWE Championship and if that’s true, having Joe win the Rumble match would make the feud feel like a big-time match.
Even if Joe doesn’t win the championship, the fact that he would debut and win the Rumble would be a great way to get him over as a legitimate threat.
Joe may not win the match, but as long as he has a strong showing, the fans will be happy just to know that he’s coming to the main roster.
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